Cave DPV
Course overview
The purpose of the DPV (Diver Propulsion Vehicle) Pilot specialty course is to expose the trained cave diver to the fundamentals of the safe operation of diver propulsion vehicles in underwater caves while under the direct supervision of a qualified DPV Pilot Instructor.
The student can build practical experience in the field under controlled conditions. Safety practices, procedures and techniques common to most DPVs used in this unique environment are covered. Conservation considerations such as low-impact operation are emphasized. Potential emergency situations are simulated and practiced.
Requirements & Conditions
Students must possess Advanced Open Water Diver and entry-level Nitrox Diver or equivalent certifications from a widely recognized diver training organization, or equivalent experience. This training may take place concurrently with the CDS Basics orientation or Apprentice Cave.
Students participating in any training program involving planned decompression must possess appropriate certification from a widely recognized diver training organization. This training must cover: Use of pure oxygen or oxygen-rich decompression mixtures and procedures for decompression diving. This training may take place concurrently with NSS-CDS Cave Diver training.
Additionally, NSS-CDS Cave Diver level of training or equivalent and at least 50 logged cave dives beyond the Cave Diver level (not including training dives) is required. Instructors must screen and evaluate students to ensure they possess the necessary attitude, knowledge and skills before any further in-water training takes place. Instructors must refer students who cannot pass this screening process to opportunities where they can obtain remedial training. Only when students can pass the screening process may they continue their cavern/cave training.
Includes
Not included
Equipment Requirements
All equipment listed below with the following additions:
Open-Circuit Equipment Requirements
For programs in which both students and instructors use open-circuit equipment, each participant must have:
Closed-Circuit Equipment Requirements
In lieu of sidemount/backmount cylinders and regulators, students and instructors using closed- rebreathers must have:
The NSS-CDS
Introduction
The CDS Training Program is the teaching arm of the National Speleological Society Cave Diving Section. The NSS-CDS is a subset or Section of the NSS. It focuses solely on underwater cave exploration. It offers a wide variety of cave diving courses and cave diver learning opportunities. We have instructors in the Bahamas, Mexico, Russia, the USA and throughout western Europe. We train and certify hundreds of cave divers annually. Although relatively small in size, NSS-CDS instructors have had a profound impact on how people dive and teach around the globe. We were pioneers in:
- Using backplates, harnesses and wings for doubles.
- Using modern sidemount equipment.
- Standardized cave diver training.
- Teaching entry-level scuba students to perform skills while neutrally buoyant.
Most of the larger technical and sport diver training organizations pattern their Cavern and Cave Diver programs after what we teach. Many of their headquarters staff have taken courses from us. It would be fair to say we’ve actually changed the way the world learns to dive…for the better.
The National Speleological Society-Cave Diving Section (NSS-CDS) is a non-profit corporation with a rich history in conservation, education, exploration and safety. In fact, the roots of the organization run so deep that it is impossible to separate NSS-CDS history from the history of cave diving itself.The NSS-CDS was started by cave diving members of the NSS (National Speleological Society, the largest dry caving organization in the world) in 1973. The organization grew out of meetings in Missouri and Indiana in 1973 at the annual NSS convention. Sheck Exley was the first chairman, and Volume #1, Issue #1 of the journal later became Underwater Speleology. By 1976, the NSS-CDS was the largest cave diving organization in the world, a position that it has maintained continuously since that time.
The Program
The primary purposes of the Cave Diving Section of the National Speleological Society (NSS- CDS) are to educate the general public in the proper procedures and techniques for participating in cavern or cave diving while simultaneously protecting the cave(rn)s from harm. Formal training stresses the importance of cave conservation in addition to safe diving practices and procedures.
The NSS-CDS is committed to the safe and proper enjoyment of the cave environment. The NSS-CDS believes that with proper training and guided experiences one can visit underwater caves in a safe manner. Further, we believe that a properly trained cave diver will significantly reduce the damage that can be caused to the cave environment and its unique features.
Safety and Training
NSS-CDS training directors Forrest Wilson, Wes Skiles, and Joe Prosser developed a program of cave and cavern certification that has produced more qualified cave and cavern divers than all the other organizations combined. The first group of crossover instructors was certified in 1979 and the first NSS-CDS instructor institute was held in Branford, FL in 1980. Many of the educational materials that we still use today were developed by the 1980s.
The goals of the NSS-CDS Training Program
Establish and maintain standards and procedures for the training of scuba divers in cavern and cave diving. Establish and maintain standards and procedures for the development of cavern and cave diving instructors. Develop and make available outlines and other educational support materials for cavern and cave diving training. The National Speleological Society believes that: caves have unique scientific, recreational and scenic value; these values are endangered by both carelessness and intentional vandalism; these values, once gone, cannot be recovered and the responsibility for protecting caves must be assumed by those who study and enjoy them. Accordingly, the intention of the Society is to work for the preservation of caves with a realistic policy supported by effective programs for the encouragement of self-discipline among cavers, education and research concerning the cause and prevention of cave damage and special projects, including cooperation with other groups similarly dedicated to the conservation of natural areas.